Weapons, such as firearms, hunting bows, and other types of weapons, are commonly equipped with sighting apparatuses, such as aiming scopes. Typical scopes include adjustments for elevation and windage. When a projectile is released from a weapon, forces may act on the projectile that alter the path of the projectile as the projectile travels away from the weapon. For example, as a projectile travels away from a weapon from which it is released the force of gravity will cause the projectile to lose elevation. Also, as a projectile travels away from a weapon from which it is released, other forces, such as a cross wind, may cause the projectile to deviate from a straight path and instead veer in a horizontal direction. Elevation and windage adjustments of a typical scope allow a user to account for the effects of these forces on a projectile. For example, a scope may be adjusted to account for an anticipated loss of elevation, so that an object that is a certain distance from the weapon appears to be in the center of the crosshairs of the scope, even though a straight line from the weapon to the object is actually slightly above the object. In this way, a projectile released from the weapon will impact the object as seen in the crosshairs of the scope even though gravity has caused the projectile to lose elevation as the projectile travels away from the weapon.
Weapon sighting apparatuses, such as aiming scopes, may need to be adjusted during the course of using a weapon. For example, a weapon may be aimed at targets that are at varying distances from the weapon. In order to account for the different distances, an elevation adjustment of a scope attached to the weapon may need to be adjusted between uses of the weapon. In another example, changing wind conditions may necessitate adjusting a windage adjustment of a scope between uses of a weapon. Other reasons may necessitate adjusting a windage or elevation adjustment of a scope between uses of a weapon.
Weapon sighting apparatuses, such as aiming scopes that include elevation and windage adjustments may include markings, such as minute of angle markings (MOA), that indicate degrees of adjustment of the elevation and windage. In low-light conditions, it may be difficult for a user of a weapon to read such markings of elevation and windage adjustments on an attached scope.
In addition, weapon sighting apparatuses, such as aiming scopes, are typically mounted on a weapon such that elevation adjustments are in a vertical plane and windage adjustments are in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical plane of the elevation adjustments. In order for the elevation adjustments and windage adjustments of a scope to have the desired affect that accounts for anticipated forces acting on the projectile in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane as the projectile leaves the weapon, it is desirable to aim and fire the weapon such that the weapon and scope are aligned with the horizontal and vertical planes. In other words, it is desirable that the weapon and scope be held level when the weapon is aimed and fired. In low-light conditions it may be difficult to determine if a weapon is being held level when being aimed and fired.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.